The United States of America stretches across the middle of North America, from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. The 48 contiguous states lie between Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, while Alaska sits in the far northwest and Hawaii is a chain of islands in the middle of the Pacific. Inside this huge area you find almost every kind of landscape: forests, prairies, deserts, swamps, great lakes and high mountains.
People have lived here for many thousands of years, and Native American nations built villages, trading networks and even cities long before Europeans arrived. From the 1500s Spain, France, the Netherlands and England set up colonies. Thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic coast declared their independence in 1776 and became a new country, which then grew westward across the continent.
Memories fade faster than photos. Ask these over a meal or a phone call, and write the answers down.
The story of the United States begins with the Native American peoples who lived here for thousands of years. Spanish, French, Dutch and English colonists arrived from the 1500s, and enslaved Africans were brought by force. Thirteen British colonies won their independence and wrote a constitution that is still in use. The young country grew across the continent, often at the expense of Native nations, fought a civil war that ended slavery, and in the 20th century became a world power, while Americans kept struggling to make equal rights real for all.
From about 1050, Cahokia, near today's St. Louis, grew into the largest city of the Mississippian culture, with perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 people, though estimates vary widely. Its great earthen mound, Monks Mound, is the largest earthwork built before Columbus north of Mexico, and the site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In May 1607 English settlers sent by the Virginia Company of London built James Fort on the James River in Virginia. Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, after earlier attempts such as Roanoke had failed.
In November 1620 the ship Mayflower, with 102 passengers now known as the Pilgrims, anchored off Cape Cod after about ten weeks at sea. They founded Plymouth Colony in today's Massachusetts, and their harvest feast of 1621 is remembered as the 'first Thanksgiving'.
From May to September 1787 delegates met at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and wrote the Constitution, which came into force in 1789. It is often described as the oldest written national constitution still in use.
Seven Southern states, where slavery was central to the economy, broke away in 1860 and 1861 and formed the Confederacy. The war began on 12 April 1861, when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and four more states then joined the Confederacy. About 700,000 soldiers died, making it the deadliest war in American history.
On 10 May 1869 a ceremonial 'golden spike' joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific lines at Promontory Summit, Utah. Trains could now run from Omaha to Sacramento, and a journey across the country took days instead of months.
On 7 December 1941 Japanese aircraft attacked the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The United States, neutral until then, entered the Second World War the next day.
On 20 July 1969 the Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the Moon. Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on its surface, followed by Buzz Aldrin, while Michael Collins stayed in orbit.
Cook one of the recipes, print the large-print pack about the United States, and finish with the big-screen quiz or the words crossword. Grandchildren can colour the flag.
